Long lines outside polling stations. Trumpers in speeding vehicles flashing weapons. The White House fenced off. The Empire State Building, upmarket couture stores and downtown small businesses boarded up. That’s what election week looked like in the US. Yet, through the daunting imagery, you saw Biden voters everywhere. Armed with earphones, energy bars, water, folding chairs, nail and hair clippers, and fully charged cellphones, people waited in line for three to eleven hours to cast their vote. Their message to the incumbent president, said Amy Cantrell from Georgia: “Donald J. Trump, you’re fired.”
Since he hit the campaign trail, Joe Biden notched a stable national lead in the much-awaited dust-up of the Trump administration. He campaigned frenetically until the last day in Pennsylvania, dispatched former president Barack Obama to Florida, vice president candidate Kamala Harris to Georgia and other surrogates to different swing states. Known to make deals across party lines, Biden was able to leverage his skills to woo prodigal voters back to the Democrat fold, reclaiming Michigan and Wisconsin. In doing so, he successfully rebuilt the democratic “blue wall” Trump took down in 2016.
In Washington, DC, first-time voter Neha Dhwan watched as Trump called India “filthy” and Biden spoke of the contributions of Indian Americans. Undecided until then, she voted for Biden. Prior to the election, a YouGov Poll indicated 72 per cent of Indian Americans who planned to vote backed Biden, against the 22 per cent for Trump. And they did.
This story is from the November 15, 2020 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 15, 2020 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
There Is A Wind Blowing Against The BJP, And It Will Only Pick Up Speed
Interview - Akhilesh Yadav, Former Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Between hospital and home
Transitional care centres can add a lot to India's health care system
EFFORT VS EFFECT
The government's attempts to ensure quality drugs is evident, but how well new policies can be monitored on the ground remains to be seen
A way to let go of fear
Accepting the use of adult diapers is a journey with various stages-denial, concealment, rejection and reluctance
Mandeeps & a miracle
Two strangers, one deadly disease and an act of kindness. How Mandeep Mann saved Mandeep Singh, an acute leukaemia patient, by donating his stem cells
The A, B, C of cosmetic surgery
Between eight to 10 lakh cosmetic surgeries happen in India every year. Who is an ideal candidate, and what are the risks and results you can expect?
Vaccines and meningitis
In sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east, and encompassing the northern part of Nigeria, there exists a region known as the African Meningitis Belt (AMB).
Celebrating diversity and inclusivity
As Indians battle it out in our nation's 18th general election, it is again time for voters to reflect on the \"Idea of India\"-or rather, on two duelling ideas of India that are now before us and between which the nation must choose at the ballot box.
Defendant: an Hermès handbag
When Hermès was hit with a class-action lawsuit last month for \"antitrust\" activities, it didn't see it coming. Most of the luxury world has all eyes on this suit, filed by two interested consumers who claim they were denied a purchase, and whether it would go to trial.
A legacy, bound
Amal Allana's biography of her father, Ebrahim Alkazi, is as much personal as it is historical